By the Promise of a Creovix
by Ridley Poe Estoire
Summary: After the destruction of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, Buffy and Co. are posted in Europe to collect newly empowered Slayers.  Meanwhile, a sinister force of unnatural power is approaching to rob Buffy of her most precious gift.  Dawn...
1. Prologue

Prologue

Rain pounded angrily on the roof of the dilapidated building, thunder shaking the very foundations of the structure. Almost everyone slept with the exception of a handful of people sitting in the lobby around a large, crackling fire. Xander, Dawn and Buffy were curled up on the enormous gray couch that might have once been blue. In one of the two fluffy green chairs situated in the lobby, Willow sat with a sleeping Kennedy dozing on her lap. Faith occupied the second of the green chairs. Though they sat in silence, waiting, every once in awhile someone would yawn and then everyone else would follow suit. Each one of them desperately wanted to crawl up the stairs and plop down on their beds, but they were needed when the newest arrivals came.

Giles had been gone for a few weeks, traveling about collecting new Slayers to train. Most of the time Buffy accompanied him on his travels, but this time he had insisted that she take a break and catch up on her rest. She had been incapable of getting more than two hours of sleep on any night, so here she sat in the cold, dank lobby of the building that they had roughly patched together to employ as a makeshift headquarters. Buffy's eyes glanced around at the walls, distracted by the dancing shadows the fire was creating along the walls. In the silence, she could hear the breathing and gentle snores of the many girls inhabiting the many rooms of the ramshackle hotel. They had come so far since Sunnydale and the hellmouth. She only hoped they would still come further.

Suddenly, a pounding came at the door, interrupting the stale silence and causing a few of the small group to stir. Dawn stood first, trudging over to the front door and wrenching it open. Her eyes drooped with exhaustion and boredom, and her body sagged with an invisible weight. At first, there seemed to be no one standing in the jet darkness of the doorway, but a thin bolt of lightning split the night in half, lighting up the outline of a person at the door. Dripping wet, Giles stepped into the dim light of the lobby, followed by a handful of girls who awkwardly lingered by the entrance.

"Come in, Come in," Giles bid, waving the girls further inside. "No need to be shy."

The small group of girls varied greatly in appearance, stature, and attitude. One girl had her hair twisted into two ponytails at the back of her head, each end fanned out towards the front. She wore a pink tube top trimmed in black, low-rider jeans, a leather jacket, and some black plastic flip-flops. She was the shortest of the girls and possibly one of the youngest. Another girl stood nervously, chewing on long strands of her hair and tugging on the ends of a frayed sweater. She was a little taller than average and looked to be about 17. Three other girls, who didn't seem any weirder than normal, tensely waited. The last girl, standing at the back of the group, was the one who caught Buffy's full attention.

Standing at full height, she was at least six feet tall, overshadowing all the other girls and Giles. She was outfitted in a crisp suit of black with a purple dress shirt with sleeves that hid her hands. Her eyes were deep pools of an unnaturally beautiful sapphire and her bed-head hair was a violent pitch black and similar to a style Hitler once had, yet her head was shaved all over except for a small strip on top. Momentarily, the girl relaxed enough to try a half-smile, which showed Buffy glinting teeth with almost vampire-like canines. For some odd reason, Buffy could not detach her gaze from the girl, actually, more of a woman.

Shaking from her daze, Buffy spoke. "Finally, you're back. Could have been sooner though. I thought you used to always be about being on time."

Buffy guided the girls up the squeaky stairs of the hotel, making no attempts to be quiet.

Pointing around the end of a second hall, she spoke. "These will be your rooms. Pick one and goodnight. Training begins in the morning."

As soon as Buffy was sure the girls were squared away into their rooms, she tiredly stomped downstairs. The group formed a small circle around the fire and began speaking in gentle whispers.

"How was the trip?" Dawn spoke first.

"Oh fine, fine. A bit tiresome after about the fiftieth trip, I'd say, but all together fine," Giles answered, taking a moment to remove his glasses and wipe the rain from them with a handkerchief.

"They seem very well…untrained. Just more frightened girls. I just hope we have enough time to train them before some big bad comes along," Faith added to the conversation.

"That's the Scoobies for you, always about the business. What about the girls? Maybe we should take them out tomorrow for a break. I mean, some of the girls could use one," Willow said, changing the subject to something a little more lighthearted.

"I guess we could. Town isn't too far. And we could look at the mall, Will. I could use some shoes and…" Buffy replied, talking animatedly.

During their friendly exchange, not one of them noticed two sapphire eyes watching sadly from between the stair rails. Those eyes watched intently, blocking out the voices, transfixed only on the movements and gestures of emotion. The girl, Solaris, could have watched the friends for hours, overwhelmed by a strong feeling of jealousy and heartache, but soon everyone was way beyond exhausted and began stumbling towards the stairs. Solaris stood, blanketed and hidden by shadow, and crept back upstairs and into her new bedroom. Exhausted, she plopped down on the enormous, beaten mattress on the floor and let her thoughts swim around her head as her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a fitful sleep.

**Intro – Theme Song by Nerf Herder**


	2. Conflict Arises

Day One : Conflict Arises

Early morning the next day, pounding came from the hallway, irritating the sleepy and dazed girls.

"Come on, come on," Faith yelled, attempting to rouse the girls. "We have another long day ahead of us. The first ten girls up go to town today."

Solaris, her eyes blinded by the sudden sunlight, rolled over, untangling herself from the cool sheets. As she stumbled to her feet, she yawned, stretching her arms almost to the ceiling. She wobbled tiredly on her legs, making her way to the small bathroom that connected to the hotel room. First, she attempted the faucet, only able to get a small flow of water to come out. Using her hands to splash the cold water on her face, she drew in a deep breath, little streams of water sliding down her lips and into her mouth. Solaris rustled her hair with her hand, pushing the messy strip of length to one side. After quickly pulling on a pair of loose-fitting, dark jeans that had two baseball-sized holes worn out at the knees, a long, tight a-shirt, and a pair of black and white sneakers, Solaris jogged downstairs to wait for the other girls.

Thirty minutes later, all of the girls had made their way to the lobby, yawning and sleepy eyed. Only Solaris and a few other Slayers seemed accustomed to such an early schedule.

"Girls, here's what we do everyday," Giles began. "Running in the morning, work on stamina. After that, you train as a group, honing your fighting skills. Then anyone still in school will be home-schooled by Willow and Andrew, unfortunately. During that time, the girls not in school go to town to work or find work. Afterwards is a two-hour period of personal time. Then training again and finally two more hours of personal time, then off to bed."

"This will be your life from now on until we have decided you are ready to leave," Faith added, glancing around the girls.

"Ready?" Buffy asked, not really caring if they were. "Good. Let's go."

It was difficult for Solaris to pretend she wasn't built for the long, intense running, having to keep at the low pace of the new Slayers. She sighed, considering just running at her full speed and strength. Her body could have allowed her to run like this for days. Most of the other Slayers were either slowing to a jog or coming to a complete halt, bending over breathing heavily.

Solaris glanced back in front of her, her eyes landing on _the_ Slayer. Buffy. The Slayer had her golden tresses pulled tight into a ponytail, her body clothed in body-hugging sweats, and her neck dangled a glittering chain with a cross. As she watched the Slayer run with relative ease, a memory drifted into her mind, an image of a past she wasn't always convinced had ever existed. For an instance, she saw Buffy in a haze, a defiant look in her eyes, then suddenly, as Solaris was sure she'd be able to see more, the memory slipped away. Solaris tried to grasp a hold of the vision, but it escaped into the void of her mind like a child unable to catch a balloon that has ventured to far into the sky.

Next to Buffy ran the _other_ Slayer. Not that Faith was any less formidable than Buffy, but Buffy had been the first of the whole lot of Slayers now running through an overgrown field. Faith had once been a killer, Solaris knew, but had finally found atonement. This interested Solaris very much, but she would wait until she had been here awhile longer before she began venturing into the Slayers' personal lives.

The two Slayers together would make an almost impossible battle, both of them with undeniable strength and power. _Soon_, Solaris thought, _I will see that power in action_.

About two or so hours later, the girls found themselves in a makeshift training area set up by Xander in the back area of the dejected hotel. Placed all around the area were pathetically sewn together dummies and wooden staves stacked against the back of the hotel.

"Pick up your weapon and then form rows of five," Kennedy directed. She seemed to be one of the few Buffy and Faith allowed to lead the others. Smiling, Solaris wrenched a stick from the pile leaned against the wall, then found her place in the front where she felt most comfortable. Kennedy began the exercises with basic punches and kicks, then led them into more difficult exercises.

As usual, Solaris performed with relative ease, acclimated to a life of fending off evil and just trying to survive the day. At some point, Kennedy noticed that Solaris seemed to have already learned the moves perfectly, and pulled her from the ranks.

"What's your name, maggot?" Kennedy asked, using her usual name for the Slayers beneath her.

"Solaris," she replied through a sly grin.

Solaris bent low, close to Kennedy's ear. Speaking so only Kennedy would hear, she added, "And if you call me maggot again, I'll surely rip your heart out in your sleep."

Kennedy's usual look of smugness vanished, replaced by a horrified frown.

"Now what did you need?" Solaris asked, directing the conversation back to less gruesome topics.

Kennedy swallowed hard, a knot rising in her throat. Of all the vampires and Turok-Han she had faced, none of them had driven such a deep fear in her heart like Solaris just had. If anyone else had spoken those same words to Kennedy, she would have laughed in their face or punched them, knowing the words to be idle threats. But the way Solaris had spoken those words with a gleam in her eye and teeth bared, Kennedy felt she must have meant it.

"I see you've mastered the training pretty well already. I need you to come with me."

Solaris nodded her reply then followed the blunt slayer into the building. Inside, they made their way to the lobby, where Giles, Dawn, and Andrew were flipping through pages of books and taking small notes in leather journals.

"Giles, sir?"

"Yes, Kennedy?" Giles responded, not removing his eyes from the pages of the thick volume he was currently perusing.

"This one, Solaris. I think she should have private training or none at all. She seems to already be well trained in fighting and she probably doesn't need anymore."

"We'll see about that. Thank you, Kennedy. You can resume with the other girls," Giles replied, dismissing her with a nod towards the backyard.

"How long have you been fighting," Giles questioned.

"All my life, sir," Solaris answered shortly, not revealing anymore than necessary.

"Well, then," sighed Giles. "We have work to do. Come with me."

Giles led Solaris down two flights of stairs into the dank basement. Nestled in a large portion of the basement was a decent training room, furnished with two couches, plenty of punching bags, short and long beams, tall and little beams, various-sized blocks, crystals, three dummies, multiple sets of pads, large floor mats and a enormous collection of weapons. Solaris smiled at the training space, pleased with all the equipment available for her use. It wasn't exactly like home, but it was very similar.

Giles removed two staves from the weapons closet and tossed one to Solaris. Using a worn pair of pads, Giles slid them on over his chest, forearms, and head.

"You might need more than that, Giles, sir." Solaris laughed at how ridiculous he looked, like an oversized dummy.

"Not likely," Giles remarked, smiling.

Patiently, Giles waited for her to begin an attack. Slowly, Solaris circled him, her eyes locked onto her target. For a moment, she seemed about to swing at Giles from above, carefully swinging towards his head, but as Giles moved to block her, she swiftly altered the path of her staff towards his gut and thrust forcefully into him. The old Watcher bent, supporting himself on his knees, and wheezed. For a few minutes, Giles remained hunched over attempting to regain the breath that had been knocked from his lungs.

"Very…good," he wheezed. "Tomorrow, I think…it would be better…that you train with Buffy…or Faith."

Soon, the pair was walking steadily up the stairs, anxious to find some other task to distract themselves with.

"Thank you, Giles." Solaris nodded towards the battered Watcher, a half-hearted smile appearing on her face. "Perfect lesson, sir."

Giles returned to his books as Solaris returned to the group of Slayers. Yet again, Kennedy was giving direction, but this time with Faith and Buffy standing watch. The group was directed to find any work once they made it into town and most of the money received from the work would be contributed to a fix-the-hotel fund they had. Out of the forty or so girls, Dawn chose ten girls to come forward.

"The ten of you don't have to work today since you were the first ones ready. Just stay at the lead and follow Buffy and Faith once we get into town. Then you can go anywhere you want."

The group of ten included Kennedy, Rona, Molly, Caridad, Chao-Ahn, Vi, Shannon, Helena, Dominique, and Solaris. Everyone jogged behind the two major Slayers, frowns on the faces of the girls who had to work that day. Soon, they had traveled into a large city full of sidewalks, busy people, and the scents of roasting meat. Solaris' stomach grumbled at the smell of food, having avoided breakfast that morning. Buffy and Faith dismissed the other Slayers to go their own way then turned to the ten left standing by them.

"Today you get a break. Go anywhere you want and we'll meet up here in exactly two hours. Go have fun." Faith waved her hand around the area.

Nine of the girls were already friends and they all headed off in the same direction. Solaris was left to make her way around the city by herself. Though she knew this city well, she preferred not to wander aimlessly around. None of it interested her. She found an American vendor selling hamburgers and funnel cakes and decided she'd buy both. She could have devoured all of the food in Italy at this point, but settled for what she had bought from the vendor. After filling her stomach, Solaris began gazing into various store windows.

Buffy and Faith had entered a clothing and shoe store two blocks down from where they had separated. Faith was busy trying on clothes for her own entertainment while Buffy looked around for a new pair of heeled boots. She had really been wanting another pair lately, not that she would be able to afford them now. Buffy sighed and glanced up at a stylish square clock hung high on a store wall. Ten minutes had already passed. It wasn't as much fun shopping unless you had your best friend with you.

Still glancing in store windows, Solaris happened upon the shop that Buffy and Faith had entered. For a moment, she stood there watching Faith continuously leave and reenter the dressing room while Buffy walked somewhere in the back. Slipping inside with barely any notice, Solaris made her way to the back, careful not to run directly into Buffy. Solaris found Buffy hidden at the end where two aisles met, looking longingly at a pair of shoes.

She quietly slipped up behind Buffy then spoke in a strange accent that Buffy had never heard in her whole life. "Those are nice. I think they would be quite flattering on you. I think you should buy them."

Somehow, the accent didn't seem quite real as the words mixed in the air causing her skin to tingle, glowing and seeming to stir up some long lost memory that her mind wouldn't let her grasp hold of. Solaris' voice altogether seemed to overwhelm her heart with unnerving dread, yet also comforting tranquility.

Before Buffy could reply that she could not afford the shoes, Solaris slipped a small wad of bills into her hand and wrapped Buffy's fist tight around it.

"This money is yours. Those shoes are made for you. See you at home," Solaris whispered then politely kissed her hand before sauntering off.

Buffy stood in slight confusion, not completely sure what had just happened. Before she could follow the strange girl, Faith appeared from one of the aisles, her pants looking slightly lumpier than normal. Same, confusing Faith.

"Time to go, B."

Buffy had told Faith she wanted to look around awhile longer. After Faith had finally left the store, Buffy picked up the shoes and hesitantly paid for them at the front counter. She had hoped to avoid any questions from Faith.

Outside, the sun lay on Buffy like a blanket of light, warming her cool flesh. She glanced skyward, enjoying the fresh air and the cool, crisp blue of the sky. Down the street, a commotion disrupted Buffy from her reverie. About a block away, two people were surrounded by a small group of spectators, transfixed on the commotion between the two. At a second glance, Buffy could see it was Kennedy at the center of attention, attempting to ram the girl who had given Buffy the money to buy the shoes. _Who is she?_ Buffy thought as she ran down the street to end the conflict.

When she stopped just inside the ring of spectators, she saw that Rona and Vi were already struggling to hold back an outraged Kennedy from the blue-eyed stranger who stood calm and emotionless. Suddenly, Kennedy broke from Rona's grasped and knocked Vi out of her way. Kennedy ran furiously at Solaris, attempting to kick and punch her, but doing so unsuccessfully. Solaris, finally tired of the childish display, gripped Kennedy's wrist and flipped her hard onto the concrete, digging Kennedy's awkwardly bent arm into her own back until a loud crack was heard and Kennedy screamed.

Buffy ran in between the two, pushing Solaris away from a badly beaten Kennedy who was being helped to her feet by a forlorn Vi and Rona. Faith had finally noticed that something was going on down the street and had just shown up. Noticing Vi and Rona first, Faith walked over to them to check Kennedy over.

Buffy was still pushing Solaris further from the scene, furiously shoving her in the collar bone. When they were far enough away to avoid prying ears, Buffy unloosed her fury.

"What the hell was that!" Buffy yelled, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"I was keeping her from finding more trouble than she wants. Though I do suppose, I am responsible for the conflict in the first place. I do apologize." The whole time Buffy was yelling furiously, Solaris was able to retain her calm composure which seemed to infuriate Buffy even more.

"Go home, now," Buffy growled through gritted teeth.

Buffy watched until Solaris had disappeared from view, headed the way they had come from. Returning to the street, Buffy helped Rona and Vi walk Kennedy home while Faith stayed in the city to wait around for the other girls.


	3. Strange Connections

Day One : Strange Connections

Back at the hotel, Solaris laid on her mattress, lost in thought yet fuming inside. The nerve of that little girl to attack her. Hadn't she already warned Kennedy not to mess with her? As she growled angrily, pieces of old memories ran through her head, playing out like an old black and white movie. She couldn't hear any words or sounds, but the images in her mind were clear. Familiar faces, long-dead evils, and a few sorrows played through the scenes. One particular memory caused Solaris to forget her rage and a lump to lodge itself in her throat. Slowly, the lump seemed to drop to her heart and she couldn't hold back the tear that slid down her cheek. She could see a girl, no older than sixteen, crying in a bathroom as her parents fought, unaware of Solaris' presence. Then the scene shifted into one of the same girl, much older now, standing high above a town on a shaky platform. The girl was talking to her sister, then she turned and jumped from the platform into the turmoil of a fierce portal into hell.

A light tap at the door intruded into her thoughts, breaking her concentration. Again, the memories slipped from her grasp to return to the depths of her mind that she could not access. Irritated, Solaris climbed to her feet and went to answer her bedroom door. Haloed by the light of the hallway, Buffy stood waiting.

Solaris waited, remaining silent.

"We need to talk. Solaris, right?"

Solaris nodded her agreement.

Solaris motioned her hand toward a soft, black recliner positioned in the corner of the room. As Buffy sat, Solaris pulled up her own hard, wooden chair and sat facing the back of it. Her chin resting on the back of the chair, Solaris placed her full attention on Buffy.

"What happened today…will not happen again," Buffy began, careful not to sound too polite. "If it does, I will be watching you. If I have to, I'll make you leave. Don't let it happen again. I don't have time for your problems with Kennedy."

Solaris could tell that Buffy hated having to be so strict, but it was the price of being in charge. If only she could help relieve some of that responsibility.

"It won't. Don't worry. I know I crossed a line and I…well, anger. Really wasn't the best of me. I hope you never see that again, nor her. I have no intentions of hurting anyone here, but I can get carried away."

Buffy could tell Solaris was sincere, but she couldn't help wondering why someone who looked like they were nineteen or twenty years old talked like someone who might be Giles age. It was unusual and her tone caught Buffy off-guard, causing her to choke on her words.

"I…fine. Just stay away from her and both of you should be fine."

Buffy stood and turned towards the door. As she was almost into the hallway, a hand gently intertwined with her own and tugged her back inside. Buffy turned to face Solaris and tried to speak, but Solaris lifted a finger to her lips to silence her. Bending slightly, Solaris whispered lightly into Buffy's ear.

"I need you to know my secret."

Buffy closed her eyes at the words, unable to withdraw herself from the room.

"I have known you always. I have known you all your life."

Then Solaris was gone, vanishing down the stairs and out of the hotel. Buffy was left in the doorway of the room, confused yet oddly at peace.

The night air held a stale coldness that settled on the ground in small crystals. Solaris walked briskly through the long grasses of a damp field, gazing intently skyward. For a moment, she smiled as she watched a small star streak across the sky. But soon, a frown replaced her smile once she realized that the star was no star at all, but a plane.

The outdoors was a pleasant change to being trapped in the hotel with all those people. Out here, Solaris was free and uninhibited. She could see for miles and hear the slightest sounds. Pausing in a small clearing, Solaris listened carefully to the chirps of crickets and ticking of locusts. She could sense something moving nearby, stirring up butterflies hidden in the tall grass.

Her muscles tensed, Solaris remained perfectly still. Eventually, a warm body brushed up against her leg, purring loudly. She glanced down and relaxed. A female mountain lion moved in and out of her legs, purring for attention. Solaris reached down and petted the lion between the shoulder blades.

Hearing a loud rustling, someone attempting to sneak up on her but not very successfully, Solaris bent to eye level with the lion.

"Go on now, pet. This is no place for you. Go before you are seen."

She clicked her tongue and gently smacked the lion's rear end, causing her to dash off in a blur of color. The next moment, Solaris' pursuer had reached the clearing where she stood.

"Hello, Faith," Solaris greeted the _other_ Slayer.

"You're weird, you know that, right. How you know it was me?" Faith stepped out of the tall grass, revealing herself to Solaris.

"I could smell smoke. Where there is smoke, there is you with a cigarette. Mind if I bum one?"

Faith handed over one of the long, paper sticks packed tight with tobacco and a plastic, black lighter. Solaris lit the cigarette and took a long, deep drag.

"Don't seem much like the smoking type, Solaris."

"Can't be too quick to judge. Anyone can smoke," Solaris responded, taking another deep drag of the cigarette and releasing the smoke out of her nose.

"Yeah, s'pose that's true. Why aren't you back at the hotel? Not much for crowds, either?"

"That, and there's a Slayer or two I'd rather not see right this moment."

"You know B doesn't mean anything by it. She just has to be big boss lady, you know. Keep everything running smooth. Glad it's not my job," explained Faith, stretching her arms above her head, cigarette still in hand.

"Are you? Hmmm, you might like it this time around, Faith. Oh yes, I heard about the armory. Not really your fault, if you ask me. Bad luck though, getting blown up on your first chance at being leader." Quickly changing the subject, Solaris continued, "But, no, that's not exactly why I don't want to see Buffy. She's not…wrong, in her own right. It seems I don't quite click with the others, I've noticed. My imagination, I suppose."

Solaris glanced down at the ground, then looked skyward and sighed. After taking one last drag off her cigarette, Solaris tossed it to the ground and stomped out the embers with her sneaker. Faith followed suit.

"It's not all about getting along. Most of us don't at some point. Though, I have to say, the way you kicked Kennedy's ass was wicked sweet. Not that I don't like her, but boarding school brat has had it coming for awhile. About time someone straightened her out. Though I expect Willow might not be so thrilled about you beating down her ex-girl."

Solaris began walking back through the field, nodding for Faith to follow. Hesitating for a moment, Faith scuffed the ground with the toe of her shoe then followed after the strange girl.

"Where we going?" Faith yelled after her, attempting to catch up.

When Faith finally caught up, she kept her pace even with Solaris and waited impatiently for her to reply.

"To get a drink. Thinking my mind could use a night off. You?"

"Sure, I'm up for letting off a bit of steam," answered Faith, doing a quick spin as she walked. "Jack D dulls the pain some, as I always say."

Buffy was exhausted by the end of the day. It was only eight o'clock at night and she was ready to collapse on her bed and sleep for hours. She really didn't need much sleep, but for some reason the thoughts constantly reeling through her mind had worn her out beyond normal.

She sat slouched in a green chair in the lobby, her head resting on the arm of the chair. She watched as Xander became frustrated with another table he was putting together for them to use. Willow and Kennedy were nowhere to be found, probably locked away in their own room. Engrossed in a large manuscript, Andrew was actually quiet for longer than a second.

Eyes slowly fluttering close, Buffy wondered where Dawn was. She hadn't seen her sister very much at all today, except when they had gone into town.

_She's most likely just roaming around the hotel or something_, Buffy thought.

Beyond being able to fight off sleep, Buffy let her eyes finally drift close and let herself float into a half-sleep where she still felt movement around her, but her mind was caught in a dream.

The dream began innocently enough with Buffy at the mall with all of her friends. She was searching the length of each wall for the perfect pair of shoes. Finally, she came upon what she had been looking for: a pair of tan suede boots with thin, pencil-width heels. As she reached for them, a hand grabbed her arms from behind, spinning her around into a warm chest. Buffy glanced up into violet eyes and gasped, unable to speak. The faceless girl above her bent low, taking Buffy's face in one hand and holding her waist with the other, and kissed her deeply and passionately. Buffy tried to pull away, but realized she didn't really want to stop the kiss. As their lips were entangled, Buffy could feel something slowing rising from within her traveling from her heart upward until a glowing light passed between the two mouths. It wasn't until the girl had let go that she understood what had happened; her soul had left her and went into the other girl.

_Where have I seen eyes like that before?_ Buffy wondered. Abruptly, the scene shifted to a dark room Buffy could not recognize. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Buffy took in her surroundings, noting all of the magical relics and weapons displayed on the many walls. She must be in some sort of magic shop or magical institution, possibly. She walked around two counters and was looking at a particularly shiny orb when Buffy nearly tripped over something heavy on the floor. When she looked down to inspect, Buffy came upon Dawn, unconscious and slumped against the counter. As she reached down to throw Dawn over her shoulder, a maniacal laugh sounded from all over. The walls shook and the laughing grew louder.

A hand touched Buffy's shoulder, catching her off-guard. Buffy spun around and hit the person square in the jaw. Then Buffy hesitated, again looking into those same faceless eyes from the shoe store.

"What's happening? What is this?" Buffy screamed, slightly alarmed and afraid for Dawn's life.

"She must go. They come to take her. We won't let them. Together we can fight them. Together. I don't know the way yet. Tell me the way. It's in your heart, the way. What is it?" The violet-eyed girl whispered, seemingly to avoid being heard by the laughing voice.

"I don't know! The way to what? Tell me, now," screamed Buffy, her voice going hoarse at the end of her words.

Tears streamed down Buffy's face when she could hold them in no longer. Then another voice, maybe the same voice with the violet eyes, spoke gently to her.

"Don't cry, baby girl. I have seen the past, present, and future. I have seen you and know what I must do. Dawn must die. It is her time. But I cannot let her. With courage, I can do what I must. Will you be my courage?"

"Make it stop!" Buffy shouted at the top of her lungs and instantly the shaking walls and raucous laughter ceased. Peace followed.

Again, Buffy turned to Dawn, lifting her sister into her arms. As Buffy carried her sister in the direction she hoped a door would be, a light snap could be heard. Glancing down at her unconscious sister, Buffy noticed a small stain on Dawn's chest quickly growing larger. Then she realized it wasn't a stain at all, but recognized it to be blood. Buffy fell to her knees, still holding Dawn, and pressed her hand against where the blood was flowing out.

"Summer's blood," she heard a voice hiss. "The price is Summer's blood."

Buffy refused to give up or pay attention to any of the voices anymore. Again, a hand gently touched her shoulder and this time Buffy didn't flinch. A moment later, violet eyes were gazing into her eyes and yet again their lips met. This time a much larger light passed from the faceless girl into Buffy, leaving her feeling quite disoriented. Then the faceless girl took Dawn up in her arms, vanishing before Buffy had a chance to protest. They were gone. Dawn was gone. Forever.

After becoming seriously intoxicated beyond normal, Faith and Solaris finally stumbled home, laughing stupidly. All the lights were off and everyone sound asleep when they stumbled into the hotel. Laughing quietly, they wobbled towards the stairs and Faith crawled drunkenly up the stairs, headed for her room. Solaris began climbing the stairs, but hadn't even made it to the third step before she slid back down the stairs and plopped on the floor.

Buffy woke with a start from a disturbing dream, covered in a clammy sweat. She glanced around the lobby making sure she was no longer in a dream before she noticed Solaris attempting the pick herself off the floor and climb the stairs. Shaking and slightly irritated, Buffy walked over and lifted Solaris' arm over her shoulder. Together, they took the steps one at a time, slowly making progress. A few times, Solaris almost sent both of them tumbling back to the bottom of the stairs, but Buffy was able to stabilize them by gripping tightly to the rail and adjusting their balance.

Eventually, Buffy had to drag a limp Solaris to her bedroom and lay her on the beaten mattress. Buffy let out a deep breath, clearly disappointed, but not totally surprised. She did expect this sort of behavior from Faith, but she didn't know Solaris well enough to expect anything. Solaris rolled onto her side, facing away from Buffy and slept deeply. Exhausted, Buffy was unable to keep herself from lying down on the mattress beside Solaris.

_I'll only lay here for a moment_, Buffy told herself. _Just rest my eyes_.

A second later, Buffy had fallen into the deepest sleep she had ever had.


	4. Search

Day Two : Pages of the Past

Dawn woke up the next morning with a queasy feeling rocking her insides. For no particular reason, she had the deepest feeling that something bad was going to happen that day or soon. She didn't understand why it made her feel so afraid, though, when her intuition wasn't usually anything she worried about. They'd made it through everything they had faced so far, and she preferred to continue to believe they would always surpass the evil that constantly threatened their existence. But today was different with a lingering foreshadowing of dark things to come hovering in her heart and mind.

Dawn hurriedly got dressed and rushed downstairs to read one of the books she had become seriously engrossed in the day before while everyone still remained asleep. Before she sat down to read the book she had just removed from a high bookshelf, Dawn returned upstairs to check in on Buffy. As she cracked the door, Dawn quietly peeked inside the dark room, but Buffy's bed was still made and Buffy was nowhere to be found. She hoped she was fine, but just assumed that her big sister had probably spent the night patrolling the nearby town.

In the lobby, Dawn made herself comfortable on the couch, resting against the arm. Half way through the book, Dawn was reading about an ancient conflict between a race of demons and primordial deities. It said the demons and deities had once lived harmoniously together, sharing the duties of the many dimensions, but their peace had been broken by one particular demon whose name she couldn't pronounce. Dawn read on about how this demon had broken a sacred pact of the two races to never interfere in the fates of their subjects by crossing the boundary that separated their world from the human world. This demon had lived amongst the humans, determined to use her supernatural abilities to alter the destinies of a sacred line of warriors called the Slayers.

At this point in the book, Dawn paused to contemplate the idea that a demon had managed to interfere in the Slayer line and what it had done and how it had done so. She couldn't imagine what destiny awaited a Slayer other than a life spent fighting the forces of evil, only to meet an early death. Though, Dawn thought, Buffy has survived longer than any Slayer before her had or should have lived.

Dawn's thoughts were interrupted by the noises coming from upstairs, signaling that the newly-made Slayers were beginning to stir. Sitting the book down beside her on the couch, Dawn glanced at the clock and saw that it was just barely past six in the morning. Surely Buffy would be home soon for the daily training of the ex-Potentials.

Faith came bounding down the flight of stairs, not in a particularly good mood. Her body sagged beneath her tight clothes and her eyes drooped a little. Obviously, she had had a long night or probably just had more to drink than was legal. The dark-haired Slayer grunted as, one by one, other Slayers made their way downstairs. Dawn stood and made her way over to the disgruntled Slayer.

"Have you seen Buffy? I didn't find her in her room. I think she might not have come back last night."

"B was here when we got in last night, lil' sis. Maybe she's just getting in some last minute dusting. Why don't you just give her some time or just go look for her again. Maybe she's somewhere around the hotel," Faith replied, shrugging her shoulders wearily.

Dawn decided to try one more time around the hotel and if she still didn't find Buffy, she'd have no choice except to wait for her to show up. Beginning at the backyard, Dawn glanced at the training grounds from a back window. Buffy was nowhere in sight. Dawn expanded her search to the basement training room, the makeshift office, the kitchen, and, finally, ended back in the lobby. Only one place left to look – upstairs.

Solaris blinked against the harsh rays of sunlight streaming in through the drawn curtains decorating the window. She really did need to close the curtains at some point, so she would stop waking up to the blinding sun. Stretching her arms above her head, Solaris rolled over onto her side to look at anything that wasn't as bright as the sun. Lying in bed next to her, fast asleep, was Buffy curled up into a fetal ball. She was angled in a mess of sheets and blankets, her face more peaceful than Solaris had ever seen it.

Solaris smiled, stood, and headed over to her luggage trunk that she still refused to unload. Opening it, she silently dug around inside, searching for something to change into. She withdrew a blue collared shirt and a pair of baggy jeans that didn't have holes like the rest of her jeans, but relentlessly slid off her waist no matter what she was doing. Taking the rest of the necessary items she'd need, Solaris entered her personal bathroom and turned the knobs in the shower causing the faucet to produce a steady stream of hot water. Steam rose around her, already beginning to fog the mirror, and, clothes removed, Solaris stepped gently into the spraying water.

Awoken by the soft shush of running water coming from the bathroom, Buffy gradually opened her eyes, blinking the sleepiness from her sticky eyes. It took a few seconds for Buffy to realize that she was not waking up in her own bedroom, but in someone else's. Her eyes had to adjust to the lightening darkness before she could assess where exactly she was. Glancing around, she noticed that she was lying on a large mattress on the floor in one of the other Slayer's, Solaris, bedroom. Had she actually slept soundly in this room throughout the night?

Rising from the mattress, Buffy advanced to the bedroom door about to walk out into the hallway until she heard Dawn's distant voice calling her name. For some strange reason, Buffy didn't want Dawn to know she was in here, or else Dawn might wonder what Buffy was doing in here. Quickly and silently, Buffy crept to the bathroom door and slid inside. The air in the bathroom was filled with fog, but steadily began to dissipate. Standing just next to the shower was Solaris, half-dressed in a black, lacey bra and jeans that hung way too low on her waist, revealing a pair of black and blue girl's briefs. Water drops trickled down Solaris' muscular torso, followed by Buffy's transfixed eyes.

Shaking the excess water from her midnight black mane, Solaris lifted her eyes to look at Buffy, not the least bit disconcerted by Buffy's sudden appearance.

"Thought you'd drop in for a chat, then?" teased Solaris, an amused grin appearing on her face.

Buffy began to reply, but fumbled over her words in embarrassment. For the moment, she was rendered speechless, unable to commit to saying anything that wouldn't just sound foolish. Completely mortified, Buffy's cheeks and neck burned red hot with humiliation. The strong composure she had perfected over the past seven years seemed to always fail her when Solaris was in the room.

"I…I just came to tell you that you're coming with Faith and I to patrol. Need to see you in a real fight. That's all."

Solaris grinned broadly, obviously amused. "Couldn't wait until I came down, could it?"

Lacking any decent reply, Buffy turned to the bathroom door and opened it a crack, preferring to face an interrogation from Dawn than to stay in the cramped room with this mysterious girl who could make her feel so young and immature with just one smile.

Deciding it best not to linger on a clearly embarrassing subject, Solaris continued to dress as she addressed Buffy. "By the way, thanks for the help last night. Didn't think I'd ever make it past that first step. Sorry you had to see me so trashed. Not a normal behavior for me, know that. But yeah, most people would have let me pass out where I lay. I just need you to know that. I'll be down in a minute. Hurry on before everyone begins to worry. I think the lil' bit has gone. It's safe now. Oh, and Buffy, it's our secret and no one else need know, I promise."

Not daring to say another word lest she risk further embarrassment, Buffy just nodded slightly then strolled out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom. Buffy had just barely made it off the stairs and into the lobby when Dawn came stomping down the stairs, too. At first, Dawn's face was hardened in frustration, but when she glimpsed Buffy making her way into the center of the lobby, she looked much more relieved.

"There you are," Dawn said, slightly irritated. "I was looking all over for you; I was about to send a search party. Where were you?"

"I was just…out. Yeah, out," Buffy lied.

Upstairs, before she headed downstairs to join the other girls, Solaris dug in her trunk once more and pulled out a brown, leather bound book that seemed to have no way for a person the open it. The moment Solaris touched the book's binding the curvy insignia on what probably was the cover burned intense gold, and part of the binding vanished on the right side of the book. Opening the book to some random page, Solaris let the words on the page seep into her memory and smiled sadly. She flipped through the many pages until she reached the first blank one. Then, carefully, she withdrew her most recent memories and placed them within the pages, protected from the destruction of any forgetfulness she might endure.


	5. Pages of the Past

All the Slayers were currently out on their morning run, leaving Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Andrew with the hotel to themselves. Giles, Xander, and Willow hovered over a large, worn map spread across the front desk, quietly conversing amongst each other. They were attempting to find the best places to place their bases of operation to train new Slayers. The group couldn't remain in the hotel that was being to become cramped with new recruits. Spreading out would also make it much easier to build a large army. The Scooby gang knew they would be facing some Big Bad eventually.

As usual, everyone was ready to tie Andrew up, gag him, and lock him in a room upstairs, but unfortunately they had to restrain themselves. Instead, everyone just tried their hardest to ignore his irritating comments and grating voice. After an hour or so, Andrew became frustrated by everyone's disregard of him. Huffing dramatically, Andrew stomped up the stairs, mumbling about comics and their pointless lives.

As usual, Dawn headed over to the bookshelf to find a book to peruse. She began removing the book she had last read, but suddenly another book caught her attention. The book was protected by a thick, dark leather cover with curvy script scrolled across the cover and binding. Dawn was unable to read the swirling script on the cover, the letters giving off the faintest hiss. Curious, and unable to recall ever seeing this book on the shelf before, Dawn guardedly slipped the book beneath her shirt and headed upstairs into a room they used for teaching the girls who were still in school.

Desks and chairs were placed all around the room in a haphazard fashion, papers littering the floor beneath them. Last session, they had all folded papers to express the different types of triangles and then turned them into various forms of paper airplanes. Good times, good times. Dawn flicked on the light switch and made her way to a desk nearby one of the open windows that overhung the courtyard. Sitting back in her chair, Dawn traced the word or words on the book with her index finger, the hissing scroll wriggling beneath her touch. Intrigued, Dawn threw open the book, flipped to the first page, and began reading the first words.

At first, the words were indecipherable, but quickly the strange language turned into one that she knew: English. From the very fist page, Dawn found herself engrossed in the tales of mythical creatures she had learned about in school and mystical armies with malevolent leaders that she had never even heard of. The hours seemed to drag by so slowly, each page turned at the tick of the clock. If anyone had asked her, Dawn would have said she felt like she had been their for days, even weeks, but in reality, the young girl only sat reading for two hours before she was interrupted by yelling and clattering coming from downstairs. Looking up from the pages, Dawn shook her head as if waking herself from a daze. Slamming the book shut, Dawn stood from her seat and hid the tome by her side as she slipped awkwardly downstairs, still slightly caught in trance-like state.

Just by the front door stood two newly empowered Slayers - Kennedy and Solaris, one of the two ready to strangle the other. The pair seemed to be complete opposites, having been in constant conflict since Solaris' arrival. Solaris stood calm and still, her eyes focused on Kennedy and looking nowhere else. Kennedy was a fireball of steaming anger and rising frustration. Dawn could not tell exactly what was happening or why, but she knew it couldn't be good. Despite the disturbance, no one else was rushing into the room to stop the commotion, not even Buffy or Faith or Giles.

Dawn watched as the conflict escalated and Kennedy began throwing violent, erratic punches while cursing angrily. Between yells of fury and angry words, Dawn could just make out a few things that Kennedy said. She mentioned trying to show off and be better than everyone. She also screamed something about suspicious activity and lack of trust. By the passing of each minute, Dawn was becoming more and more confused. All the while, Solaris remained silent and serene, standing through all of Kennedy's forceful blows to her face and body and making no attempt to fight back. Kennedy was further motivated and outraged by Solaris' refusal to take action and she hit harder and harder into Solaris' flesh.

Finally, Buffy, the rest of the Scooby gang, and the other Slayers lumbered into the room. Everyone seemed to be preoccupied in their conversations, but then faced the front of the room and grew silent. Buffy and Faith ran over to the pair, but when they tried to get close and keep the two away from each other, some invisible force held the two Slayers back. Buffy and Faith hit whatever was blocking their path, hoping to weaken and destroy it, but their attempts were in vain.

Still, Solaris remained motionless, even as blood trickled from her mouth and nose and bruises began appearing all over arms and torso. She took a slow, deep breath and coughed, her eyes still locked onto an infuriated Kennedy. Momentarily, she glanced at Buffy and it seemed Solaris was struggling to hold back tears as if she had given up and was voluntarily being defeated. For a few more moments, Buffy and Faith were forced to just watch Kennedy beat on a bloody Solaris, but then Solaris was overcome with weakness and collapsed to the floor. Taking the sudden opportunity, Kennedy rushed over and kicked Solaris hard in the chest as she was trying to rise from the ground.

Instantly, the barrier was broken and Buffy and Faith hurried toward the pair, Faith gripping tightly to Kennedy who was cursing and Buffy helping Solaris to her feet and guiding her towards the stairs. As her sister passed with the stumbling Solaris, Dawn was obliviously to a hand that stealthily stole the book that was hidden at her side and didn't notice the missing item until everyone had finally departed from the lobby.

Upstairs, Buffy had carried Solaris into her own bedroom which was fully furnished, unlike Solaris'. After laying Solaris down upon her bed, Buffy went into her bathroom and removed her personal first aid kit from under the sink. Buffy kept a fully stocked first aid kit in her bathroom for the many times that she would return home with large gashes or bleeding wounds. As she returned to her bedroom, Buffy had to rush over to roll Solaris on her side to stop her from choking on the blood that filled her mouth. Opening the kit and removing a large cotton ball and a tube of alcohol, Buffy allowed herself to speak in Solaris' presence.

"Why did you…" Buffy began, but stopped suddenly as she considered the answer. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just didn't want…"

Buffy sighed, not exactly certain how to put into words that which she wanted to say. Deciding on an alternate route around the touchy subject, Buffy directed her attention on caring for Solaris' injuries. She used a warm, damp rag from her bathroom to wipe away the blood that had streamed down Solaris' face from her nose, mouth and various wounds. After cleansing all the visible open wounds, Buffy began placing bandages over the injuries to protect them from infection and help control the bleeding and, finally, ventured to speak again.

"Lift your arms. I need to remove this shirt. There might be…bruises or other damage." Without waiting for permission, Buffy began lifting the hem of the shirt up, but was halted by a strong, lean hand placed upon her own. Buffy looked up into the deep glistening pools of sapphire that swam in Solaris' eyes and became caught in a foggy reverie. Then, breaking the gaze locked between their eyes, Solaris began to pull her shirt up by herself and laid it upon Buffy's jade comforter, slightly wincing from the effort.

Blushing at the sight of Solaris' well-defined abdomen, Buffy quickly checked the area over noting a few large, potentially harmful bruises and went back into her bathroom to grab a few towels. After wrapping the towels around Solaris' stomach, Buffy headed into the kitchens to retrieve plastic bags of ice and returned to set them all around Solaris' injured torso. Not her normal confident self, Solaris lay motionless while Buffy tended to her lesions and abrasions. Her eyes continually gazed at Buffy's face, only looking elsewhere when she needed to cringe in pain.

"I'm sorry," admitted Buffy as she pulled her dark green comforter over Solaris' now shivering form. "Here, take these."

Buffy handed Solaris' two white, oval pills and helped her lift a glass of water to her mouth.

"Don't be sorry. I'm fine. I just…," Solaris coughed then continued. "Need a few minutes…to catch my breath is all. Just a few…"

Slowly, Solaris drifted to sleep, her eyes fluttering closed and her breaths slowing and steadying. Not until an hour later, when she returned to check on Solaris, did Buffy notice an unusual book resting atop Solaris' blue shirt. Curiosity gaining the better of her, Buffy lifted the large tome and carried it over to a worn recliner in a corner of her bedroom. Opening the strange leather cover, Buffy turned to the first page and began reading silently. As the hours passed and the book became more complex, Buffy began to read aloud to fully comprehend the string of words. She had surpassed the chapters about ancient creatures of myth and was now trapped in the tales of imminent bloodthirsty tyrants and invincible beings.

So enveloped in the sentences scrolled across the pages, Buffy did not notice the slight stirring on the bed beside her. Unexpectedly, a yell of 'no' broke the silence, shattering the quiet as if it were a glass window that had just been demolished by a large flying rock. Buffy's heart leapt as Solaris' jumped from the bed and snatched the book from Buffy's grasp. At first, Solaris' face was a mask of red anger, but then she paused and her face flooded with the paleness of worry.

"How…how much did you read aloud?" Solaris asked gently.

"I don't know…maybe a few chapters. Why?" Buffy responded hurriedly then demanded, "Hand it over. I wasn't finished."

"I can't. I need to know exactly which chapters you read aloud. I don't have time to explain right this second, but if you could help me out I'll let you know anything you want."

Solaris' brow furrowed in concern and concentration as Buffy came to her side and began flipping to the chapters she could remember reading out loud to herself. After three chapters, Solaris became even more uneasy and snapped the book shut with a loud thud, a cloud of dust poofing into the air. Sighing, Solaris took a seat in the recliner and rested her head in her hand, wincing in pain or frustration, Buffy couldn't tell.

"This book…it's not meant to be read aloud. Inside are the stories of many beings that have plagued this realm and many other realms with their tyranny. Not only that, but the beings themselves are entrapped within these very pages and when read aloud…they come back."

"You mean…like they escape their stories and create hell here again? That's excellent. Who made this book and how do you know about it?" Buffy ventured, daring to be forceful in her questioning.

"In Egypt, where I am from, I ran into this book once before and had to read some 'characters', for lack of a better term, back into their stories. It's a book of the highest beings themselves that rule above all else with no worries for anything but their own happiness. These beings are all those who displeased the highest beings and earned this fate from doing as such. Now we probably have three or four running loose, and putting one back will be hell, let alone four," Solaris explained, becoming more animated as she spoke, but finally returning to a calm state. "But I suppose we do have to try..."

The two nodded in agreement and sat down to devise a plan that Buffy would be able to offer to the troops. Solaris offered to take the blame for the beings that had escaped the book, but Buffy refused and pushed forward in their plan. Little did they know that Buffy's little sister, Dawn, had read at least ten chapters out loud when she had possessed the book.


End file.
